


Kiss It All Better

by fadinglight123



Series: Magnificent 7 Drabble Dumping Ground [1]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, M/M, this isn't happy guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 15:35:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8672866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadinglight123/pseuds/fadinglight123
Summary: "Sam," Vasquez interrupted, "I know you all came a long way to visit, but....can we...catch up...some other time?" 
He knew they were worried about him, and he appreciated them all coming to visit him but....he hated them seeing him this way, in this place and today......well......
Today was not a good day. Would always be a bad day. 
He didn't want them to see him at his lowest. This was hard enough for them as it was, let alone for him.
Title from the song by He is We. Story inspired by the same song.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So I finally got my ass in gear enough to finish his, 3 days after I started it. It fought me a little along the way, plus I wanted to get the Spanish double checked before I published it. This started out almost good Goodrocks but I decided that this pairing needed more love and more fics so, you get Varaday angst. Lucky you?

Listen, Sam, I know you all came a long way to visit, and it's good to see you all but....it's been a long day. Think we can....catch up....some other time?" Vasquez interrupted his friend a little suddenly. The cop paused, before nodding.

"Yeah....yeah we can do that, V. No problem. You get some rest, and feel better." 

Vasquez nodded one last time, and put down the receiver with a sigh, walking away from the booth and the glass that separated him from the outside world. He didn't need to look back to know that Sam was giving him a sad, worried look; and the rest of their group was likely the same in the background. He bit back another sigh. He knew they were worried about him, and he appreciated them all coming to visit him but....he hated them seeing him this way, in this place and today......well......

Today was not a good day. Would always be a bad day. 

He didn't want them to see him at his lowest. This was hard enough for them as it was, let alone for him.

•••

After the visit from Sam, Goody, Billy, Red, and Horne, Vasquez returned to his cell. He was not in the mood to deal with the rest of his fellow inmates' bullshit today. He had enough on his mind. 

He shuffled back to his cell, barely reacting as the door was slammed behind him. He collapsed onto the bed with a tired sigh, throwing an arm over his face. He was alone, finally safe to let his thoughts drift off to where they'd been leaning all day. The missing piece of their family of seven; the person who'd once been where a hole in his heart was; the reason he was in this hellhole. 

"Josh..." he whispered, his eyes stinging underneath his eyelids. 

•••

He still woke to nightmares about losing him. Still could see that horrible night as clear as when it first happened...

_It had been an average evening, Vasquez had had to work later than usual, and Josh passed the time waiting for him in the bar by playing poker with a few other patrons. As per usual, Josh was winning, and antagonizing the people he was playing with while he did so. When Vasquez's shift was over, he'd come over to collect his boyfriend so they could walk home and relax at home together as usual._

_"You ready to go, güerito?" He'd asked, amusement and affection clear in his voice._

_"Fuck yeah! Let's blow this popsicle stand, Vas!" Josh had sighed in relief, standing with an easy grin. It shifted to a cocky grin as he turned to address the other men. "Well gentlemen, this has been an enriching experience, but I have an excellent evening with my man here planned, so I must skip out early! I'll be takin' my winnings." He'd scooped up some cash from the table, pocketing it under death glares and grumbles from all around the table, one in particular looking very angry. "Now, now. Let's do this again some time!"_

_Vasquez had pulled him away, chuckling and twining their fingers together as they left the bar._

_"You're a troublemaker, querido." He'd laughed, shaking his head as the chill of the evening hit them._

_"You know it! And you love it," Josh had teased, eyes sparkling as he'd brought Vasquez's hand up to plant a kiss on it._

_"Always," Vasquez had murmured, staring at him with a loving smile. Josh had given an affectionate grin of his own, opening his mouth to respond when the sound of a gun cocking had silenced both of them._

_They'd both turned around to see the man from the poker table, holding a gun to Josh's chest. A strong rage roared up in Vasquez at the sight, along with a deep terror and horror._

_The guy was ranting, something about 'cheaters' and a lot of slurs for the two of them, how they were both dirty sinners, how Josh was 'white trash and Vasquez was another dirty pedophile. Josh had tensed where he kept his hands up, slightly in front of Vasquez despite his attempts to pull him back._

_"Whoa, hey man, there's no need for-" Three things happened at once. First, Josh stepped forward slightly, not much, just enough to notice, and with enough intent to show he was upset. Second, Vasquez attempted to pull him back, keep him from antagonizing this man into doing something stupid. Third, the gun went off._

_Josh clutched at his chest, stumbling back._

_There was a ringing in Vasquez's ears._

_He collapsed down next to his boyfriend, trying to support him and hold him up._

_The bastard had pulled the trigger._

_Vasquez could distantly hear shouting. He realized it was himself._

_The coward ran off._

_Josh was wheezing, blood-ay Dios, so much blood-seeping too quickly out the bullet hole in his chest. He knew instantly the bullet had hit something important._

_Vasquez finally came back to himself enough to make a panicked call to 911, before continuing to try to stem the bleeding. He could see it wasn't doing enough though. His love was fading fast before his eyes._

_"¡Quédate conmigo, Josh! Por favor, ay Dios, por favor quédate conmigo, cariño! Por favor, quédate vivo!" He wasn't sure when he'd switched into panicked Spanish, but he was, pleading with Josh to hold on, to stay alive._

_Josh coughed, blood splattering his lips. "Damn Mexican....know I don't....speak-" Vasquez hushed him._

_"Save your strength, mi amor! Please, Josh, please just stay with me, stay alive, don't you dare die, cariño....please...." He was sobbing now. He knew, could feel that it was too late._

_"Manny...." Josh whispered, struggling to keep his eyes open and reaching out to grasp him weakly. "Love you...."_

_"Te amo....I love you too, so much Josh so.....so don't you DARE leave me, not like this. C'mon güerito, please!" He was clutching Josh's face gently, pressing kisses to him, trying to keep him awake._

_Josh grinned weakly, tears streaming down his face as well. "Te....amo.....Manny...I'm so sor..."_

_The last syllable vanished in one last exhale. Vasquez stared down at him, before he screamed, shaking his lover and begging him to wake up. Eventually he fell back into sobbing, clutching Josh to him. He was already growing cold._

_After a long while of this, he stared down at him, stroking his face. He presses a kiss to his forehead, tears still streaming down his face._

_He looked up and saw the gun laying where the man-the son of a bitch who had done this-had dropped it._

_He stared at it for a long moment, as that thought sunk in._

_Vasquez saw red._

_In a daze, he stood up, grabbing the weapon. There was a dead man walking the streets tonight._

•••

He didn't remember shooting the man. He didn't remember watching the light fade from his eyes or feeling any kind of bitter satisfaction. He didn't remember dragging the body back to-to Josh. He didn't remember collapsing into a sobbing mess again.

He remembered pain and rage so strong it blocked out everything else. He remembered swearing and screaming and rageragerage, and then he remembered it fading into numbness and then a piercing pain in his chest, and then he was on the ground by Josh again, holding his cold body tight. He remembered the flashing lights of ambulances and a police car. He remembered looking up and seeing Sam's horrified face as he took in the scene. He remembered the look in his friend's eyes as he'd asked Vasquez what had happened, what he'd done. 

He remembers Sam having to drag him away from the paramedics because he wouldn't let anyone near Josh, would snarl at anyone who got close. He remembers Goody showing up a while later, just as horrified. Later, in the jail, the others had shown up too. He remembered Sam shouting at him for being so goddamned stupid, even as they all shook from fear and sadness and loss, even as they clung to him and each other to hold themselves and each other through the aftermath. 

He remembered the sentence, processing the judge's words numbly. He remembered being tired and not caring anymore. He remembered wishing it was death, if it meant the pain that he knew would never heal would stop, if it meant he could stop missing Josh, maybe be with him again, if there was a God and He was as merciful as Horne was always preaching. 

He remembered the first time the others visited him on this day, how he'd done his best to hide how red and puffy his eyes were, knowing he'd failed miserably and feeling only a little better when he saw that they didn't look much better. 

He remembered slowly settling into the routine of this place. After all, he'd be here for another 30 years at least, if he was lucky and good, and if Sam could come through with the connections he insisted he had. 

•••

Vasquez swore to himself, before getting out the photos, some of the only personal effects he'd held onto in this hellhole. Most were of several of their group together. But there was one that was of just Josh and him. They were smiling, pushing at each other and laughing like idiots. Billy, the conniving bastard, had snapped the photo without them noticing, and given it to him. 

He sucked in a sharp breath.

"....I miss you, güerito. Wherever you are I hope you're stirring up trouble. I hope I'll join you there, whenever my time is up." He paused. "I love you, Josh. And I remember you."

**Author's Note:**

> Major shoutout to Andy for helping inspire me, and justadream27 for checking the Spanish. This one is definitely dedicated to those two. 
> 
> Vasquez doesn't have an official first name yet, so for now I'm torn between Manolo bc Book of Life, and Manuel, his actors name and which Manolo is a diminutive form of. Faraday calls him Manny, Vas, and V, but he's the only one who can call him Manny. The others use Vasquez, Vas, or V. 
> 
> The Spanish in the story is:  
> Querido-dear/darling  
> ¡Quédate conmigo, Josh! Por favor, ay Dios, por favor quédate conmigo, cariño! Por favor, quédate vivo!"-Stay with me, Josh! Please, oh god, please stay with me, sweetheart! Please, stay alive!  
> Mi amor-my love  
> Cariño-sweetheart/darling  
> Te amo-I love you


End file.
